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PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF 
FORESTRY 



STATE FOREST COMMISSION 

Robert Y. Stuart, Commissioner of Forestry. 

Edward Bailey. 

Henry W. Shoemaker. 

Mrs. John L. Lawrence. 

(Mary Flynn Lawrence.) 

Henrv S. Drinker. 



Alfred E. Rupp, Chief, Bureau of Lands. 
Lewis E. Staley. Chief, Bureau of Operation. 
George H. Wirt, Chief, Bureau of Protection. 
John W. Keller, Chief, Bureau of Silviculture. 
W. E. Montgomery, Chief, Office of Maintenance. 
A. O. Vorse, Chief, Office of Information. 
Joseph S. Illick, Chief, Office of Research. 
E. A. Ziegler, Director, State Forest Academy. 



itflbH>iHiiiiiM>ii 



FOREST TREE PLANTING 




'2.-^- 



WHEN 


TO 


PLANT 


WHERE 


TO 


PLANT 


WHAT 


TO 


PLANT 


HOW TO 


PLANT 



By 

John W. Keller, 
Chief, Bureau of Silviculture 



BULLETIN 23 



PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY 

ROBERT Y. STUART, Commigsioner 

1922 










oo 






INTRODUCTION 

'TPHERE are 13,000,000 acres of timberland in Pennsylvania. A 
large part of this area is not producing what it can and should. If 
lires are kept out, many acres of it will come back with a satisfactory 
growth of trees, but there are 3,000,000 acres that are absolutely idle 
and should be planted with trees at once. Without planting, it will 
require half a century for this idle land to be satisfactorily restocked 
Math trees, and in this time the area is capable of producing enough 
timber to supply the entire State of Pennsylvania for twenty years 
at the present rate of consumption. 

Wood is vitally essential to our people, and the rapidly growing 
industries of our State. None of us can get along without it. The 
country dweller can get along with less than the city dweller be- 
cause it not only takes wood to grow food but, after it has grown, 
it must be packed in wooden boxes or barrels and transported in 
wooden cars or wagons before the city man can eat it. The lack of 
wood will mean physical and industrial decay to our own strong and 
properous commonwealth. 

The State of Pennsylvania recognizes its responsibility in making 
every acre of idle forest land produce and will gladly supply you, 
free of charge, with trees for reforestation. 

Forest tree planting methods that Have been tried and are success- 
ful are discussed on the following pages. 



FOREST TREE PLANTING 



WHEN TO PLANT 

U*OREST tree seedlings should be planted in the spring after the 

frost has come out of the ground and before the new growth has 
started, or, in the fall before the ground is frozen. Whenever pos- 
sible, planting should be done during the spring because the trees 
will begin to grow at once, and usually more of them succeed. 

If labor is not available in the spring, planting in the fall can be 
undertaken with reasonable assurance of success under the following 
conditions : 

First, when the soil is not heavy clay and the danger from heaving 
v/ill be slight. 

Second, when the area is not a "frost pocket,'' i. e., subject to 
severe frosts. 

Third, when the planting site has a northern exposure and the 
frost leaves the ground late in spring. 

Fourth, when the trees to be planted start to grow early in spring, 
such as American larch, European larch, Japanese larch and wild 
black cherry. 



One tree-planting enthusiast wrote : 
'I am planting for timber. It is better than bonds." 



6 
WHERE TO PLANT 

jDLE lands that are not needed for, or not adapted to, agricultural 
••■Qr other more important uses, should be planted with forest trees. 
These lands usually come within one of the following classes : 

Class 1. Cleared lands, such as abandoned fields and worn out 
pastures, eroding banks, slopes and gulleys, odd and. unused corners 
about the farm, along highways and water ways. 

Class 2. Worn out farm woodlots which are growing up with 
undesirable trees or do not support a satisfactory stand of valuable 
young growth. 

Class 3. Areas on which a windbreak is needed to protect build- 
ings, live stock, orchards and crops. 

Class 4. Burned over areas covered with bracken, sweet fern, 
aspen and fire cherry upon which small seedlings of desirable trees 
are. not coming in naturally. 

Class 5. Scrub oak barrens on which growth of oak, chestnut 
or other valuable trees are not present in sufficient quantities to 
insure a satisfactory forest crop. These areas should be planted 
immediately after the fire has killed the scrub oak sprouts. If plant- 
ing is done under sprout growth the planted trees will often be 
killed by the dense shade. 

Class 6. Areas upon which the chestnut has been killed by the 
Chestnut Blight and a satisfactory stand of other valuable forest 
trees has not come in. 



r 



More than 34 million trees have been planted on State 
Forests during the last twenty-one years. The plantations 
now cover 22,500 acres. 



COST OF PLANTING 

A PLANTING crew of two men can usually set out from 1,200 to 
1,600 trees in a ten hour day. If the trees are obtained from the 
Pennsylvania Department of Forestry the packing charges at the 
nursery will amount to approximately 75 cents per thousand trees, 
and the transportation charges will cost about 35 cents per thousand 
trees. Under average conditions the total cost of planting an acre 
with forest tree seedlings shoiuld not be more than $12.00. 



7 
WHAT TO PLANT 

1 T is best to plant trees that grow naturally in a locality. These 
trees will usually thrive under similar conditions when properly 
transplanted. Large plantations of foreign trees should not be made 
unless experiments have proven that they will thrive in the places 
where they are to be set out. Thirty years of experience in planting 
European and Japanese larches, Norway spruce and Scotch pine in 
this State indicates that these trees can be planted on properly 
selected sites with reasonable assurance of success. 

More evergreens will be planted than hardwoods, because they 
are more easily transplanted. They usually grow faster, are more 
attractive, produce a larger amount of lumber per acre, and their 
wood can be used for general purposes and is in large demand. 
Nevertheless, the wood of walnut, ash and oak is so valuable for 
special uses that planting of them is recommended on moist, fertile 
soils which are not more valuable for agricultural or other uses. 

The most important factors in determining the kind of trees to 
plant are soil and moisture. The greatest care should be used in 
selecting the kind of trees that will thrive under the conditions ex- 
isting on the proposed planting site. Any of the trees listed in this 
bulletin are recommended for planting in Penns^dvania. 



AGE AND SIZE OF PLANTING STOCK 



T 



'HE age and size of the planting stock depends largely upon the 
condition of the planting site. If no heav}^ sod, dense weeds, or 
sprouts grow on the area, trees from 4 to 8 inches in height may be 
planted. .This will result in the largest number of living trees at the 
lowest planting cost. The larger the planting stock the greater will 
be the cost of planting, and the harder it will be to get the trees to 
grow. Consequently small planting stock should be used unless 
there is good reason for doing otherwise. 

As a general rule, trees of the following ages are the right size 
for "the usual planting site in Pennsylvania : 

White pine 2 or 3 yrs. Walnut 1 yr. 

Pitch pine 2 yrs. Ash 1 yr. 

Red pine 2 or 3 yrs. Black locust 1 yr. 

Norway spruce 3 or 4 yrs. Red oak 1 yr. 

Larch (Japanese or European) 2 yrs. Sugar maple 1 yr. 





Japanese larch (left) and white pine 
(right), two years old. 



Norway spruce (left) and whit© 
(right), three years old. 



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Pitch pine (left) and Scotch pine 
(right), two years old. 



A bunch of 50 white pine seedlingi, two 
years old, ready for packing and RhiiK- 

Ping. 



HOW TO PLANT 

IMMEDIATELY upon receipt, the trees should be taken to the 
place where they are to be planted. If they cannot be set out the 
same day they should be "heeled in." For this purpose select a 
place ;in well-drained soil which is not stony and where water is 
available. An open trench should be dug with one side almost 
vertical. Take bunches of trees from the shipping boxes and wet 
the roots thoroughly. Then cut the strings and place the trees up- 
right in a thin layer against the vertical side of the trench. A 
bunch of trees should be spread over about six inches in the trench. 
Fine soil should be placed against the roots and lower part of the 
stems, and firmed with the foot. 




Trees should be "heeled-in" if they cannot be planted the 
day they are received. 



Fourteen additional forest tree nurseries were started 
in 1921 and 1922 at State institutions. The seedlings grown 
in those nurseries will be distributed free by the Pennsyl- 
vania Department of Forestry. 



10 
THE PLANTING OPERATION 

'T^HE roots must be kept moist at all times. If they are allowed to 
dry out the tree may die. Two persons make a good planting 
crew, a mattock man to dig the holes and a planter to set the trees. 
Dig the holes in rows. The distance between rows, and also the 
distance between trees in each row, is usually five to six feet. The 
spacing will depend upon the kind of trees used, the quality of soil, 
and on what is now growing on the area. 

Where the ground is not stony nor the sod heavy, one stroke 
with the mattock will usually make a hole large enough to plant a 
2-year-old seedling. The hole should be big enough to let the roots 
spread. Loose dirt is carefully drawn to the edge of the hole where 
it can be easily reached by the planter. If the sod is heavy at least 
one square foot should be turned back with the mattock, and a hole 
made in the loose earth. 

The planter with a supply of trees in a pail follows the mattock 
man. The pail should contain about an inch of water, to keep the 
roots moist. Holding a tree in his left hand the planter sets it in 
the hole as deep as it was in the nursery, as shown by the "collar" 
on the seedling. The roots should be spread out and loose earth 
pressed over and around them with the right hand. The remain- 
ing loose dirt is then drawn into the hole and packed firmly with a 
mallet, a stone, or the heel of the shoe. No grass, leaves, or stones 
should come in contact with the roots. When properly planted 
the seedling will stand upright and be so firm that it cannot easily 
be pulled up. 



An annual demand for 20,000,000 forest trees and for 
15,000 shade and ornamental trees is expected by the De- 
partment of Forestry officials by 1925. 



11 




Two persons make a planting crew, a mattock man to dig the holes and a 
planter to set the trees. Carry the trees in a bucket so that the roots may be 
kept moist at all times. 



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One stroke with the mattock will make a hole large enough to plant a 
tree. If the sod is heavy one square foot should be turned back with the 
mattock and a hole made in loose dirt. 



13 




Loose dirt, carefully drawn to the edge of the hole, 
can be easily reached by the planter. 



14 




_ With his left hand, the planter sets the tree in a hole as deep as 
it was in the nursery. The roots should be spread out and loose 
earth pressed around them. 



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Loose dirt is packed firmly around the roots with 
the heel of the shoe. 



16 




A stone is very efEective in packing the dirt tightly around the roots. 



17 



When properly planted the seedling will stand upright and be 
so firm that it cannot easily be pulled up. 



18 



PROTECTIVE MEASURES 

« 

A S a rule each destructive insect or disease attacks trees of one spe- 
cies only. Nearby trees of other species may not be affected. The 
chestnut blight attacks only the chestnut, the white pine weevil 
attacks chiefly the white pine and the locust borer works wholly in 
the black locust. To guard against loss from insect attacks or 
diseases, areas larger than an acre should be planted with a mixture 
of two or more kinds of tree'^ that have the same needs for soil and 
light and the same rate of growth. This can most easily be done 
by alternate rows, as shown in illustration below : 




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Using two species Usin^ tincee species 

ALTERNATINQ BY ROWS. 



When white pine is planted all cultivated or wild currant and 
gooseberry bushes growing within 900 feet should be destroyed. The 
best way is to pull them up by the roots and hang the plants on 
nearby trees or brush so that they cannot take root again. This is 
to guard against the Blister Rust, a fungus disease that kills white 
pines. The Blister Rust cannot spread from pine to pine but must 
spend a part of its life on the under side of current and gooseberry 
leaves, from which spores spread to the pines and cause the rust. 

Live stock will eat the leaves and tender twigs of hardwood seed- 
lings and root up, break and tramp down small evergreens. No* 
plantation can succeed when animals are allowed to graze over or 
root up the planted site. 



19 




Livestock will eat the leaves and tender twigs of hardwood seedlings and 
root up, break, and tramp down small evergreens. 



20 

PROTECTION AGAINST FIRE 

tpOREST fires have devastated more than one-third of the forest 
area of Pennsylvania. Even a very hght burning will kill small 
-trees. Hence, fires must be kept out. On a farm this danger is usually 
slight, and little need be done except, possibly, the posting of a few 
forest fire notices. When a plantation is made near large wooded 
areas where fires are likely to occur, or if the plantation is large and 
•■destruction would in^'olve heavy loss, special precautions should be 
taken. In addition to posting fire warnings, this can best be done 
'by cutting fire lines or by putting on a patrol during dry seasons. 



During the last thirteen years, private planters have re- 
ceived from the Pennsylvania Department of Forestry 18,- 
250,000 young forest trees which were set out in all parts of 
the State. 



GROWTH TO BE EXPECTED 



•'HP HE following tabulation gives a summary of the number of years 
that will be required to mature some of our most important forest 
trees on sites best adapted to each of them. The most common 
uses of the wood produced by these trees are also listed : 



Kind 



Where To Plant 



Years To 

Mature 

On Best Sites 



Uses of Wood 



Carolina poplar 
Black locust 

White ash 

Red oak 

Black walnut 

Sugar maple 

Larch (European 

or Japanese) 
Pitch pine 

White pine 

Red pine 
Norway spruce 



Aloist fertile soil 25 
Dry sterile soil to fer- 
tile loam 30 
Rich moist soil 50 

Loam to sand or 

gravely soil 75 

Rich, moist bottom 

lands 60 

Deep fertile soil to 

rocky hills 75 

Well-drained medium 

fertile soil 40 

Medium fertile soil to 

dry slopes 60 

Fertile well-drained 
soil to gravely hill- 
sides 50 

Deep loam to dry 

sand and gravel 60 

Deep moist to thin 
cold soils (will not 
thrive in wet loca- 
tions). 75 



Pulp, crates. 

Posts, ties, insulator 
pins. 

Implements, furniture, 
handles. 

Furniture, interior fin- 
ishing, ties. 

Furniture, gun stocks, 
veneer. 

Furniture, interior fin- 
ishing (maple sugar). 

Poles, posts, ties, mine 
timbers. 

Construction timber, 
mme props, ties. 

Lumber, wooden ware, 
excelsior. 

Constructio n timber 

and lumber. 
Construction lumber, 

pulp, thinning for 

Christmas trees in 8 

years. 



21 
PLANTING STOCK 

npREES for reforestation are distributed by the Pennsylvania De- 
partment of Forestry under the following conditions : 

1. They must be planted in Pennsylvania. 

2. They must be planted by the applicant or his representative, 
and may not be offered for sale or be sold. 

3. They should be set out' in accordance w^ith the best and most 
practical modern methods. 

4. The planted trees must be protected, as far as possible, from 
fire, grazing, trespass, and other destructive agents. 

5. Fewer than 100 trees cannot be furnished to one applicant. 



In the spring of 1922, the Pennsylvania Department of 
Forestry gave without cost 3,500,000 trees to 1,200 private 
planters in this State. 




PREVENT FORSET FIRES— IT PAYS 



